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KENYA MAY LOSE 600 MILLION IN TENDER January 22, 2006
Apunyu Bonny
(SomaliNet) Kenyans risks losing about Sh600 million meant for constituency development projects if a multi-million shilling tender goes according to Government plans, a parliamentary committee claimed Friday.
It has been revealed that Treasury officials wanted an expensive supplier to win a tender for 100 road graders, yet Sh6 million more was being charged for a machine, said the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) select committee
Kenyan Government is being put on pressure by the committee to buy from a company that is charging Sh18.6 million in favour of the one that is charging Sh24.7 million. Chairman Karue Muriuki said the company charging Sh24.7 million had been picked using Government procurement tenders by the Roads ministry.
"When we enquired why the tender prices were so high, the ministry bluntly said that those were tenders obtained through the public procurement procedures. When we asked the recommended suppliers, they said they were willing to supply at the lower price (Sh18.6 million)," he told a news conference at Parliament Buildings. He accused Treasury officials of coercing constituency committees to buy the machines at inflated prices.
Muriuki said, 103 constituencies had already subscribed to the scheme, and each had contributed Sh3.5 million for it in the last financial year. In the current financial year, each constituency has contributed Sh7 million, bringing the total to Sh 900 million.